I was at the self-checkout machine, scanning my groceries, when I accidentally left my receipt on the counter. As I turned to leave, a woman rushed over to me, holding it out with a warm smile. “You dropped this,” she said kindly. I took the receipt from her, thanked her, and walked out of the store, none the wiser.

It wasn’t until I got home and began unpacking my groceries that I noticed something strange. On the back of the receipt, in hurried and somewhat shaky handwriting, was a cryptic message: “Check your tires. Someone slashed mine in this parking lot.” My stomach tightened with confusion and a growing sense of unease.

I immediately noticed that one of my tires was indeed slashed. The deep gash in the rubber confirmed the woman’s warning. I felt a sudden wave of panic, unsure of what had just happened and what I was supposed to do next.

After a few minutes on the phone, the dispatcher told me there had been several similar incidents reported in the area. Apparently, someone had been slashing tires in the parking lots around town, and my car had unfortunately been one of the latest victims.

As I sat in my car waiting for the authorities to arrive, I couldn’t stop thinking about that woman. How had she known? Had she been a victim herself, or was she simply trying to help? Either way, her timely intervention had spared me from a much worse situation, and I was left grateful—though still shaken—by the unexpected kindness of a stranger.